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Frequent power outages surge with the coming of summer, and high usage of refrigerators and freezers increases the likelihood of someone leaving the door incompletely closed – we all know the dripping mess that awaits the finder of an appliance too long without electricity!

“I never knew what A1C was until my doctor said mine was high and I had diabetes.” This is a comment I hear frequently in Penn State Extension’s Dining with Diabetes program when participants discuss the emotions experienced when they learned they had diabetes.

It’s the perpetual question in nutrition workshops. Which is better – butter or margarine? Many go away with the set jaw of the devoted. To complicate matters, margarines have largely disappeared from market shelves – replaced by “spreads”.

I had the opportunity to attend the Food Safety Summit which was held in Baltimore just last week and my first session featured Norovirus– you know, the virus we hear about associated with Cruise ships?

Reusable bags are everywhere and they are not just for carrying groceries anymore! They can be found from the gym to the laundromat. Promoted by businesses, grocery chains and municipalities, they are an excellent environmental choice, but they can pick up bacteria from the foods and other objects they carry.

Leftovers are a great way to save food, money, time and reduce your carbon footprint. However, leftovers are only as good as the care that goes into their preparation, storage and organization. Here are some tips that may help you make the most of your leftovers.

Busy parents . . . do you wish your kitchen was more organized? easy to navigate? conducive to preparing healthy and delicious meals? Are the chores of putting away the groceries and locating meal ingredients the ones you most dread? If so, perhaps it’s time for a kitchen makeover to make your kitchen a “control central” for pulling together healthy meals in a snap!

Did you know that January is National Soup Month? What’s better on a cold winter day than a steaming bowl of your favorite soup? Soup can be a welcome change of pace after the rich high calorie foods we have during the holidays. Not only a nutritious boost, soups can help ease the budget as many soup recipes use little meat, and/or inexpensive dried beans as a protein source.

Shorter days, cooler nights, clothes shopping, new back-packs; it must be back-to-school time. As the days become filled with hectic mornings, baseball and soccer practice after school in addition to the normal daily routine, finding time to pack a healthy lunch for your children may seem like an impossible feat. How can we rethink the standard bologna on white bread with mayo?

Were you ever enticed by a new diet fad? Ever heard a new trendy nutrition term and wondered what it meant? Every year, new food and nutrition trends sweep our nation from fad diets to super foods. What are some current trends, what’s their terminology, and what’s driving their popularity?

Remember when your parents advised you to eat carrots for healthy eyesight? New advances in eye health are singling out a color other than orange. Green is the new hue for optimal eye health – and, for many of us, “It’s not easy being green!” in the words of Kermit the Frog.

Going greener… does that mean more green for me to spend or that I am saving the planet? I think you will find that the suggestions in this article will help put more green back into your wallet, and help our wonderful planet at the same time.

Have you noticed the growing numbers of people who are faced with allergies to food? I don’t seem to recall many friends with food allergies growing up – perhaps we just weren’t very good about detecting them back then. If you suffer from a food allergy you may be apprehensive about whether you should eat out or not. Good news -eating out today is a lot easier - and safer – for those who suffer with a mild, moderate, or even a severe food allergy. One reason: Restaurants are more aware and more prepared.

Reaching for the corn syrup for a holiday dish prompted questions about corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup – corn cousins so to speak! Corn syrup is produced by treating corn starch with enzymes to break it down to glucose, which is easily absorbed and utilized by the body for energy. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), on the other hand, is produced by more specific processing of corn starch with enzymes to yield syrup with a mixture of glucose and fructose. Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar that is present in small amounts in fruits (fruit sugar).

There is nothing like opening the front door on a cold winter evening and being greeted by the inviting smells of beef stew or chicken noodle soup wafting from a slow cooker. Besides the good aromas there is the satisfaction of knowing that your meal is ready to serve. Winter is not the only time a slow cooker is useful. In the summer, using this small appliance can avoid introducing heat from a hot oven. At any time of year, a slow cooker can make life a little more convenient and it takes less electricity to use a slow cooker rather than an oven.

It has been quite a few years now, but I remember pulling a chair up to the kitchen counter when my children were small so they could stand beside me while I was cooking. They wanted to see what I was doing and be part of the action! Allowing the kids to help was usually messy and took a lot longer, but we had fun and made some great memories. I am happy to say that both my children are pretty good cooks today and my son even uses his culinary skills to impress the young ladies!!

Blueberries were on my mind as we bicycled through coastal Maine in October. Today I found a new study that shows the continuing promise of better health offered by eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and (coincidentally) berries! The study showed that the risk of heart attack was reduced by one half in people who ate this way over a four year period. The study participants were people with a higher risk of heart disease due to a specific gene.1

The kitchen is considered by many to be one of the most important rooms in the house because of its role in independent living. The ability to cook is a daily activity that helps a person remain independent. Kitchen designs and modifications that foster home safety are essential. There are many products and practices that can help increase accessibility while maintaining a safe working environment.

Since I acquired a “super blender” with a dynamite motor, I have begun drinking summer fruits and vegetables on occasion! When time is short, I can down several servings while working on a project or traveling in the car. For the fruity version, a little known dairy product called kefir is a wonderful base for my fruit smoothie.

Can’t stand Broccoli? Research into the evolution of taste yields interesting food for thought. Our five taste senses– sweet, salty, umami (savory), bitter and sour – equip us for consuming the essentials for survival – energy, salt, and protein – as well as avoidance of poisonous or rotten food.